Sally Field Joins HRC to Combat Anti-LGBT Bills

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and actress Sally Field made a plea to LGBT rights supporters to combat “License to Discriminate” bills through an email campaign, on Thursday, March 27, 2014.

The plea to help HRC raise $150, 000 for their efforts came with a personal message from the Academy Award-winning actress:
“Sam is my youngest son, by 18 years, and he’s gay. To that, I say: So what?”

Field added that “[Sam’s] journey to allow himself to be what nature intended him to be was not an easy one. When I saw him struggling, I wanted to jump in. But his older brothers held me back. They told me I couldn’t travel that road for Sam. It was his to travel, not mine. I had to wait for him to own himself in his own time. I could make it easier only by standing visibly to the side, clearly loving him, always being there and always letting him know.”

HRC’s goal is to fight any kind of proposed government regulations that would make it legal to discriminate against LGBT people under he guise of “religious freedom.” One of the most recent examples of this type of bill came before Arizona’s governor, Jan Brewer. She ultimately rejected the bill.

“Sam knows that if he ever marries, he’ll have my full support. After all, I like to believe I raised him with the good sense to choose a great partner. But there are people out there – organizations and politicians, strangers who have never even met Sam – who would rather devote themselves to denying his happiness,” Field wrote. “Why would anyone want to prevent my son – or anyone’s son or daughter – from having basic legal safeguards like family medical leave, Social Security survivors benefits, or health insurance? It doesn’t make any sense – but it won’t change until people speak out.”

She encouraged people whether they are LGBT themselves, a parent or grandparent of a LGBT child, or just a person who believes in “what’s fair and right,” that she hoped she convinced to stand with HRC for equality.